Another clamp-down on member free speech and democracy likely as desperate Labour tries to suppress revolt against worst leader in party’s history – but there should be a way around the ban
Thousands of Labour members have begun circulating proposed motions of no confidence in Keir Starmer that they want to debate and vote on in their CLPs (local party units), after his dire leadership led to Labour’s abysmal performance in last week’s local elections and Hartlepool by-election – and his actions since then in declaring war on the left and trying to shift blame for his fiasco.
But on previous form, Starmer’s acting hatchet-man David Evans is likely to issue a ban on motions of no-confidence – such motions had already been wrongly ruled ‘out of order’ in many parts of the country. Some have proposed tabling a motion of confidence in Keir Starmer and defeating that as an expression of no confidence.
But not having confidence is not unambiguously the same as having zero confidence. So if they face yet another attack on their free speech and democratic rights, here is a succinct motion of confidence in Starmer that members should demand their CLP ‘exec’ put on the agenda of the next CLP meeting – and then work to ensure it is defeated:
[Name of] CLP has at least 0.1% confidence in Keir Starmer and his leadership of the party.
This motion, if defeated, will have no ambiguity in meaning that members have no confidence whatever in the worst and most destructive leader in the history of the party. Spread the word.
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A union has written to Max Headroom. They want him to disassociate himself from his master’s instructions. Word is Max Headroom has instructed one of his undersides to WhatsApp the union with Mandelson does not speak for me. I hope the union insists that Max Headroom… Keith for short, i hope they insist he gives a public SHUT UP to Mandelson the snake oil salesman.
Go on Max! PUBLIC statement necessary. I Max am not my Mandelson’s embarrassing limp tool.
I dare you SIR MAX HEADROOM, try to suggest u have at least one sixth of one tentacle. Tell not just the union, the general public that you Max Headroom are not under the thumb of Mandelson. Go on! Get on with it Max ‼️‼️‼️
Apologies for the many errors, especially that which should have read – “Mandelson the snake-oil sales-snake.
Clarification- “A union HEAD has written on behalf of Labour unions, to Max Headroom…”
Is there a reason that your comment is so cryptic and why haven’t you told us which Union.
Head of Askef on behalf of Labour Unions . Surprised Max Headroom’s minions are again leaving i out of the loop. Hmmm odd, as i think u work with remarkable shameless dedication. Humorously Ineffective yes, but sustained dedication as u demonstrate, is hard to find.
🟥🟥🟥
windchime – Thanks.
“ASLEF” of course not “Askef.”
Below is the full text of the TULO letter
10 May 2021
Dear Keir
I wanted to write following on from last week’s elections. As trade unions, we want to see Labour winning across the country – and I know unions are, like you, saddened by some of the results and deeply concerned about how the Party turns this situation around so that we can set out a vision of a better future that inspires voters in every community, in every part of the country.
I know you have said many times that the Party is stronger for its connection to working people through the collective voice that the affiliated unions bring to the Party. I hope you will have time to speak to colleagues in the unions about how we can together shape the vision that voters need to hear from Labour, how the Party can set that vision out to the country, and how the trade union movement can play a central role in this.
Union colleagues have been pleased with the work that the Power in the Workplace Taskforce is doing to build a real consensus across affiliates and the Party for the detailed policy agenda on workplace rights and collective rights, building on the work done over recent years. That is important work, and it’s right that we are taking the time to refresh and renew those policies in the light of Covid. However, with the jobs crisis, the epidemic of fire and rehire, and employers using the cover of Covid to drive down pay and conditions – the public need to hear about these issues from the Party, and from you, right now. Issues around decent work, rights and protections, pay, and our plan to create good, unionised jobs must be a core part of Labour’s narrative and vision – without this, we will not be able to win back the trust of the working families who must be at the heart of Labour’s winning coalition.
I have heard you say many times that you want to unite the Party, and it’s clear that unity is essential if we are going to win. As we are all aware, the media feeds on our division and negativity, and the events of this weekend have made Labour division the only story, rather than the Labour wins in Wales and in mayoral races across the country – I know this has caused concern across the movement.
Finally, I need to raise the issue of Peter Mandelson’s comments about trade unions and the trade union link over the weekend. These have caused considerable concern and anger. The path to unity does not lie through any moves to reduce the union link, and the path to winning the country cannot lie through the Party distancing itself from the collective voice of millions of working people. I would ask that you say something publicly, in short order, to make it clear that you reject these comments, and that there will be no attempts to break, or water down, the union link. The union link is one of our most effective tools for re-engaging with working people who have turned from us. It is not an obstacle.
It’s crucial to all our members that we can win a Labour government at the next general election. We want to play our part in helping to do that, but it can only happen if we are united and are setting out a bold vision of a better and fairer future, with decent work and good, unionised jobs at its heart.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Mick Whelan
Chair of National TULO
And here’s Mandelson’s response
“I neither want the union link axed nor all dissent crushed but I do pray for the day when we stop receiving lectures on winning elections from the architects of our 2019 annihilation and their Unite backers.”
This recent article – see link below – cites General Election turnout as a means of determining the Labour Party’s relative health under either Neoliberal entryist vs traditional Leadership.
Kinnock in 1992 got 11.5mil votes
Years of Conservative corruption generically defined as ‘Tory Sleaze’ created an anti-Tory wave for
Blair in 1997 of 13.mil votes but his service to big money and attack on Labour voters meant
Blair in 2001 was down to 10.7 mil votes – he’d lost 3 million voters and was now below Kinnock.
Blair in 2005 down again to 9.5 mil – he’d lost a further million voters.
Brown in 2010 down again to 8.5 million votes – as well as the disappeared 5 million voters they’d lost 2 thirds of once 400,000 strong party members.
Miliband in 2015 stabilised at 9.5 mil votes – this by pretending to move left.
Corbyn in 2017 finally stopped 16yrs of decline with 12.8 mil votes
2019 was spun as a record bad performance yet Corbyn’s Labour after many smears still got 10.2mil votes. More people thought the Party under Corbyn represented them, than voted Miliband in 2015, Brown in 2010 or Blair in his last win in 2005.
In fact all three, Blair, Brown, Miliband, were getting poorer numbers than Kinnock from a larger population to extract votes from.
https://dissidentvoice.org/2021/05/the-myth-of-corbyns-labour-failure-and-neoliberalisms-western-electoral-success/
Finally the left is starting to organise. Let me say if people fall for Burnham the slippery chancer who not once support Corbyn! You are all as stupid as the day you were born, this was all planned replace the Wrecker with another Blairite. Please wake up people.
Meant to post yesterday that Blo Jon will plan an early election … latest 2023 to capitalise on the Mandelson’s SUCCESS in directing Starmer to wreck Labour and purge it of original purpose. Of course the aim of Mandelson’s controllers are to purge true Labour from the party to make way for their preferred cuckoo.
Those some, even here, call a CLOWN will outwit the one some even here believe is such clever “winners”. Of course it’s of little crucial material difference re tons of money. But what would irk Mandelson / Bliar / Hodge / Straw / Cooper et al is having their egos dented. Bliar the war criminal in particular is utterly desperate to be worshipped. That’s why the creature looks even more tortured and worn out like parched cracked mud you see in some places abroad.
Fitting really as the war criminal Bliar now looks like the bombed wreckages it left across many countries destabilised all the better to plunder their resources.
Tough on peace. Tough on the causes of peace. That is the story of W.M.D Blair the lying arrogant warmonger Tory parasite.
📍👁🗨📍👁🗨📍👁🗨
Am on the fence with Burnham. It’s entirely possible that he couldn’t cope with the pressure from the PLP, just as it’s possible he wanted rid of Jezza. Time is the only way to see what he’s truly made off.
There’s no denying he’s a changed man since he left Westminster. That said, I’ll never forget what he did. Forgiveness however, may be forthcoming
Both Ed Milband and Andy Burnham were shafted by McNicol, et al (Labour leaked report). I may be willing to give them the benefit, if the time came, dependent on the offer.
Good one Andrew. He’s a chancer. Lefts great how? Really.
Or…have a vote expressing full confidence in Starmer and no one vote.
Or…have a vote expressing full confidence in Starmer and no one vote.
An interesting idea — provided nobody does actually vote. Surely, though, in a democratic process that can’t be guaranteed?
Even if only one person votes in favour, and since nobody voted against it, wouldn’t that then amount to it being seen as having passed?
Labour is beyond redemption. So far It has just been a shambles under Starmer and it is now in chaos. Give it a few months and it will descend in to anarchy. Once you have signalled that you can get away with sabotaging the Party’s General election campaigns anything goes.
I have confidence in Starmer, I’ve confidence he’ll balls things up, does that count?
The problem is that that motion doesn’t, if defeated, produce anything to send to the NEC.
Yes, true elspethparris. In normal times that would be important. This proposal addresses an organisational andv a psychological need of members and is, in a strange sense, a prerequisite for any constitutional resolve of The Starmer Problem.
Quertboi, dead right. A psycholical about turn. We have lost sight of the whereabouts of our enemies are. They’re everywhere. A rethink, definitely. All the best.
Not only CLP’s but also the unions need to ballot their members re ‘no confidence’. Thousands are affiliated members so won’t have a vote in CLP’s.
C’mon Unite Union, get to it !
When Unite members were polled about the EU a substantial majority of them opted for a second vote and Remain.
6% Len’s opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the membership’s views
Which Unite members? How Many of them? What body did the polling? How? What were the asked? And most importantly, when did the polling occur?
Not that I don’t trust anything you say SH, but I don’t
qwertboi – Poll of Unite union members piles pressure on Corbyn
Ahead of super-union’s conference, majority of members oppose leaving single market and back a people’s vote
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jun/30/unite-union-brexit-poll-corbyn-labour.
Thanks, the poll was against May’s no deal threats and – contrary to Toby Helm’s Guardian copwriter’s claim, actually supported Corbyn and his ‘jobs first’ brexit, despite Starmer encouraging 89 Labour MPs to disobey instructions to vote for amndments that made EEA and single market particiation possible. Sneaky Starmer. As for the second vote question, YouGov was woking for the People’s Vote Campaign, and until I see the question they asked, I tend to distrust their interpretation of it and the write-up that the Guardian gave it.
qwertboi – Sorry it took a while to search out, have fun.
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/wb96oamqk2/OpenBritainResults_180630_UniteMembers.pdf
“(Name) CLP has total confidence in Starmer’s ability to destroy the Labour Party.” – any good?
Change the wording, simple;
We, the membership, have full confidence that, given the catastrophic defeat of losing over 330 Labour councillors and the loss of Hartlepool MP to the tories.
We, the membership, are confident that KS no longer has the full support of his MP’s and members and that the members are confident that KS does not have the skills or political acumen to lead the Labour Party to win much needed elections, as evidenced on May 6th.
Getting rid of Keir Starmer will change nothing. We are witnessing the end of the British Labour Party as a politcal force. The LP rose out of industrial Britain. Mining, steal making, ship building, but now in the 21st century, post industrial, the LP is an irrelvance. Changing the leader is not going to change the party’s fortunes.
Richard MacKinnon, ‘A’ Labour Party is needed now as much as ever. If not for a SOCIALIST Labour Party, who is going to stop the likes of Johnson completely ignoring the democratic process and continuing to introduce right wing authoritarian policies for the benefit of the wealthy controling class? Who is going to make sure we have an NHS funded and run by the taxpayer for the benefit of all and excellent education and housing without having to go into unaffordable debt. And who is going to support people such as Julian Assange, incarcerated by the State because he was brave enough to expose government atrocities. Only a Socialist Labour Party beholden to no outside pressures or influences can make our country a place of integrity and an example to the rest of the world.
Jack T,
You ask , “who is going to stop the likes of Johnson completely ignoring the democratic process ….”.
That is a statement of your imagination. It is a fabrication. It is plainly wrong. Stop and think before you type. Johnson hasnt ignored the democratic process. He has used it. Brilliantly, to his advantage.
Look at Hartlepool. People like Boris Johnson. You dont, I get that. But whether you like it or not, the reality is he is winning. Ordinary people like him.
Any way that is not the point I made in my first comment, which was that the BLP is in its death throes.
If you want to progress that line of discourse, then fine, lets develop it.
I think those Labour MPs that call themselves ‘Left’ or ‘Socialist’ should act rather than talk. They should break and form a new ‘Socialist Party’. There are plenty of them about. They have ridden the ‘socialist’ band wagon for years. We all know who they are. They talk about ‘socialism’ but when it comes to action?
Same as the trade union leaders. There all big on socialism. So what is stopping them? The TU funds are there. The time is right, Why not break now and organise for the next GE?
If you want a wee punt on it what do you think the odds will be JackT? I will give you 100:1 against a new socialist party fighting the next general election. Why? Because socialism is, unlike the BLP already dead and that is why it will never happen. The so called (self identifying) socialists know this, they are just not honest enough to admit it..
Even a non socialist Labour party as is the current one, can’t stop Johnson from basically doing as he likes. The best they can manage is to use the Parliamentary process to try and trim the worst excess from Tory legislation.
The Grun today has a piece on the latest buster wheeze, photo id cards which is Tory speak for voter suppression, which will mainly affect Labour voters. No surprise there. Over the weekend plans were announced to move mayoral and PCC elections to first past the post as PR is not suiting the Tories. Soon he will go after the judges and as The Good Law Project has said, this will make it virtually impossible to hold the government to account for bad legislation. Similarly for government misdeeds to be exposed.
Keef has already shown his penchant for authoritarian policy not only by whipping to support the “Spycops” bill, but (if the insiders are to be believed) he has had input into the framing of the legislation. So his and the party response to the upcoming bills, will be telling.
Whatever he does now doesn’t really matter. His lack of vision is not cutting through with the public. Former members and voters can’t see a reason to vote Labour. He’s broken all of his 10 election pledges and has lost the good will of much of the remaining party members, so he must go and take the Prince of Darkness with him – perhaps they can retire to a crypt together somewhere. And do it soon, preferably while there is still time to try and salvage something.
Nemtona – “[Labour] can’t stop Johnson from basically doing as he likes”
Sadly it’s not like the days when Boris didn’t even have a majority and Jeremy scored victory after victory against the Boris led Tories. I’m having difficulty in recalling what they were but I’m guessing that given the Tory’s weakness at the time that there must have been some.
You’re right the Tories now have an 80+ seat majority which means they can now do more or less do what they like. (don’t you just love FPTP)
Socialism is not dead. You cannot kill an idea. Don’t believe me, how do you explain nazi ideology lingering around for so long? Plenty of Nazis were killed.
The people don’t want socialism because they’ve been told it’s bad by those who would lose out if socialism was allowed to flourish.
I would like to say that your original post about labour dying is 100 accurate. It can’t come soon enough, only when the corrupted entity expires can something better be built.
Richard Macinnon
It’s noti in my magination that Johnson prorogued parliament to subvert democracy and lied about the reason for doing it. It’s also not in my imagination that he breaks democratic agreements with which he disagrees. Nor is it in my imagination that he said our democratic institutions “are the enemy of the people”
You say people like him, why is that? Some people will always like a rogue until he turns on them. Johnson has had a completely free ride from Starmer who should have been hauling him over the coals and highlighting his ineptitude, particulatly over the tens of thousands of deaths which could have been avoided if he’d acted sooner but because Starmer wants to appeal to the same electorate as Johnson he has allowed him to go almost unchallenged.
I agree with you though that there are ‘left’ MPs who should not even be in the Labour Party but unfortunately they run it, together with their back room enablers. This is one of the reasons for its present demise.
Apart from that, you can take your hero worship of one of the worst, thuggish, anti-democratic Prime Ministers we have ever had and hawk it around those who see through him to see if you can get them to change their mind.
FPTP Giveth and FPTP Taketh away, it exaggerates small swings
Or as in the case of the War Mongrel Labour can lose millions of votes but still beat the worst cheap and nasty Tory party in modern history
Uncle Festa is walking on extremely thin ice
Richard Mackinnon.
This is the sort of atrocity that we as Socialists fight against, would Johnson or people such as him give a damn?
From Reprieve
“I am writing with some terrible news.
Father Isaiah was executed early yesterday morning – on Sunday, May 9, 2021. His family were given no warning. His brother was called after the execution took place and asked to pick up Father Isaiah’s body.
He had to drive several hours to do so. He had made the same drive the day before – on Saturday – for what he thought was his regular monthly visit with his brother. No one at the prison mentioned to him that it would be their last visit and his last chance to say goodbye.
Father Isaiah’s execution is the latest in a string of executions in Egypt. So far, the Egyptian authorities have killed at least 48 people this year. Last year, they hung at least 152 people – more than in any year on record.
There is a human rights crisis happening in Egypt. Father Isaiah was killed on the last weekend of Ramadan. Traditionally, Egyptian authorities have avoided killing people during the holy month. But this year, at least 18 executions have taken place. It was also the weekend after Coptic Easter – a holiday Father Isaiah and his family would have celebrated.
Father Isaiah’s family now want to bury him so that they can mourn and say goodbye to him together. But Egyptian security forces are preventing them from doing so. Their nightmare continues.
Thanks to you, we continue to support them and fight for Father Isaiah’s dignity and peace. And we will continue to fight for other people facing the threat of execution in Egypt.
Thank you for fighting for Father Isaiah. May he rest in peace”
Sherif Azer
Investigator – Death Penalty (Middle East and North Africa)
Reprieve
MacKinnon youve obviously never heard of the Tolpuddle martyers who were agricultural workers who had had enough of the type of people you support.The Labour party are finished and virtually bankrupt,but the working-class movement are not and the fight against corruption worker exploitation and human rights have never been more important today than ever.
Joseph, neat post.
I always thought that dumping clause 4 said I’ll.
Instead of I’ll It should have been, said it all.
“This CLP asserts that Kier Starmer is the best Leader the Labour Party has ever had, and his term should be extended for a thousand years.
Also that David Evans is the most politically intelligent Interim General Secretary the Party could employ, serves the interest of its members assiduously, and is not corrupt. He must be paid a bonus proportionate to the change in membership numbers since he was installed.”
That won’t be allowed, so:
“This CLP has every confidence in Sir Kier Starmer as Leader of the Labour Party.”
Should it get to conference amend it to withdraw the irony and have Conference vote on the amendment.
How about motions condemning Labour’s silence on the Israeli government’s ethnic cleaning of East Jerusalem?
and, demanding he speak out against the continued political incarceration of the journalist Julian Assange for exposing war crimes (which he Starmer, presided over has head of the CPS) . That should skewer him. He’s carefully said nothing about it.
Just seen RT and it’s just awful. The world has gone mad.
That’s exactly what David Osland proposed on Twitter yesterday I thought it was bloody genius really delighted to see people running with it. Going to put it to my Momentum group today
This is just spectacle, I don’t have time to care for motions that got nowhere and only put targets on our backs.
Better to say nothing and withdraw from our CLP’s meetings if under the control of the right wingers and stop helping the local right wingers win in the local elections.
If our CLPs are under left control, let us use our majority to remove right wing Cllrs from winnable Labour seats from next year local elections and beyond. By far better than expending our energies in passing motions.
Let the right of the Party implode when they are removed as local Labour candidates for the next round of local elections. Or losing more and more seats to other political Parties because the local left is refusing to put boots on the ground and instead redirecting our efforts to elect Labour Cllrs that are socialist in nearby wards of whole LAs.
Starmer is our best friend right now, he all by himself is cleaning the Labour Party of right wing Cllrs. While most of the Labour wins in Preston and Cambrigdshire are newly elected Cllrs firmly on the left of the Party.
This has to be our priority to increase the number of Socialist Labour Cllrs by working in silence but effectively.